WIN FOR MR. BAVIN

Taranaki Daily News, 14 August 1930, Page 11

WIN FOR MR. BAVIN

•BY-ELECTION IN SYDNEY. MB. lIEGITES’ PARTY WORSTED. Sydney, July 31. Possibly no Government ever faced the people 911 more unpopular issues than was the case with the National Government in New South Wales on the occasion of the by-election in Lane Cove, an electorate which takes in a large suburban area on the northern side of Sydney Habour. First of all, there was the reintroduction of the 48-hour week, then the cut in the salaries of the civil servants and finally the wage tax of 3d. in the pound. More than these, the Government was not in a position to make any promises such as most Governments make at election time. All it could promise was that the purse strings would be drawn tighter than ever. Yet, in these circumstances the Government scored a substantial victory, even though it was represented in the held by a comparatively weak candidate, and certainly by a candidate unknown in the electorate and even unknown in politics. Before polling day the by-election was spoken of as a political barometer of "unusual interest in view of the State general elections that will take place in about three months’ time. Now the National victory has been achieved it is spoken of as a straw in the wind. The Nationalists were' opposed by three candidates, but only two of these may be taken into account —the official Labour man and the representative of the new party, the Australian Party,- led by Mr. W. M. Hughes. It was the first time that the Australian 'Party had contested a State eeat and it did not come out with flying colours. The first preferences were allotted as follows: —Nationalists, 5642; Labour, 4032; Australian Party, 3344; Independent, 31, This meant that the Australian Party was eliminated early in the count and with most of the Australian Party preferences going to the Nationalists the latter ended up with more than 2000 votes to spare.

It is important to note that the Australian Party had the assistance of Mr. Hughes throughout the campaign and as he is suclr a skilful campaigner surprise was expressed that tho party did not do better, It does not auger well for the future of the Australian Party and there are some people in North Sydney who say that the result of the by-election spells the defeat of Mr. Hughes in North Sydney at the next general election in the Federal sphere. Labour went into the campaign with a general condemnation of the Nationalist policy to meet the current depression, but found it impossible to break down a general belief that the Nationalists are doing their utmost to carry the State through. There are many who hold .that the fearless way in which the Government is meeting the situation has won for it many friends. A few months ago political students were saying that the Bavin Government was doomed, but there lias now been a swing in the opposite direction, particularly when it is remembered that some thousands of electors in the Lane Cove electorate are civil servants who have been most hardly hit as a result of the Nationalist policy.